Aftermath
by tchele
Summary: Picks up after One to the Heart. Everyone bands together to prove Eddie is innocent.
1. One

Title: Aftermath

Disclaimer: not mine. The characters belong to Marlowe et al and ABC(if they were mine we would already have a Season 2 guaranteed!)

Spoilers: up through and including the season one finale "One to the Heart"

The banging on the door woke Sam up. She was disoriented at first, uncertain of where she was and why LAPD was practically breaking down the door. Sam was unprepared for her partner to be handcuffed and when she heard Christine Rollins say Eddie was under arrest for the murder of Karl Kahn it took everything in Sam to remain upright. As the uniformed officers led Eddie out with the Lieutenant, Christine stayed a step behind.

"You know he couldn't have done this Chris, he's being setup." Sam said.

"I don't know what I know, but for right now Eddie needs a lawyer, a good one. Call this guy, tell him it's for Eddie. Get Berto on this now, try Zeus too. I have to go. If I give the Lieutenant a reason he won't hesitate to take me off this case." Christine replied as she took off down the hall.

Sam pulled out her cellphone and called the attorney that Christine said to call. The gentleman said he would meet Eddie at the station and reassured her that Eddie was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

Sam's second call was harder. As she dialed Berto's number, she hoped he would answer despite the late hour. It rang several times before the young man answered. "Sam, what's going on?"

"Eddie was just arrested for the murder of Karl Khan. We need to get to the office and start on this. I've already called an attorney and he is meeting Eddie at the precinct. My next call is to Zeus and then Monica." Sam answered.

"Just call Zeus I'll get ahold of Monica. Sam do you think this is Deacon? And if this is Deacon should we meet at the office? Isn't that what he would expect us to do?" Berto asked.

"You're right. Go get what you need and take it to my place, we can work from there. Zeus and Eddie upgraded my security system after the Stepansky case. Monica can let you in if I'm not there yet." Sam replied.

"Where will you be?" Berto asked.

"I'm going to Zeus', then I'm not sure. Keep in touch." Sam said disconnecting the call.

"What's going on?" Monica asked.

"Eddie's been arrested for murder. I need to go to the office and gather equipment and files, we are going to be work from here." Berto said pulling on his sweatshirt.

"I'll come with you." Monica replied as she grabbed her shoes.

 _Zeus' bar_

Sam entered her friends establishment and quickly walked to the bar. "Zeus. I need to talk to you. Can we talk in your office?"

"Sure. Eric can you take over?" The large man replied as he led Sam to the room marked Private. "What's going on Sam? I don't usually see you without your partner."

"Eddie got arrested, for murder." Sam stammered.

"Hold on darlin' back up. Start from the beginning." Zeus said attempting to calm the young woman down.

"We were working this case. This woman hired us to find a conman who stole her money and jewelry. We found out the guy was going to be at a poker game and I went in undercover and convinced him to go to a hotel room with me. Eddie was waiting in the room with our client. She confronted him, but before he could make arrangements to give her money and property back he got shot. We called Christine and she came to investigate. When the ballistics came back it turned out the same gun that killed our con man killed Marnie Stahr. Eddie lost it and I couldn't talk him down. Oh and Deacon was at the poker game and knew I was there. I immediately told Eddie this seemed like a setup and he practically threw me out of the office." Sam replied taking a breath.

"Eddie let two things define him for a long time, Unit Twenty Three and that Starh case. I had hoped that recent events had helped him get past both. What happened next?" Zeus asked.

"I left the office after our fight to try and prove it was a setup and found out Deacons sister told our client about us. When I got back to the office Eddie was gone, chasing down a lead on the shooter. Berto tracked his phone and Christine found him with shooter and she took the shooter into custody but she couldn't hold him. Eddie was angry, threatened him, and took off when they released the guy. Then tonight Christine, her Lieutenant, and two uniforms showed up at Eddie's and arrested him for the shooters murder. Christine told me to get you and Berto working on Eddie's case. I think we need to try and prove Deacon is behind this. Chris said Eddie needed a lawyer and told me a guy to call, which I did, then I called Berto, and now I'm here. Berto is going to grab equipment and files and take it to my house. If this is Deacon? We aren't taking any chances of working at the office. I need your help, I'm in over my head here Zeus. What do we do next?" Sam finished.

"First take a breath. Who did Christine have you call?" Zeus asked.

"This guy Gideon Kennedy? He said he would meet Eddie at the precinct and that Eddie was smart and knows to keep his mouth shut." Sam answered.

"He's a shark and he does know Eddie. He's right Sam, Eddie knows not to say anything. We will get through this. They will question him tonight, but I'm guessing Gideon is going to push to have him arraigned as soon as possible. He will put in for bail, which hopefully he will be granted. We have to assume he will be on an anklet if he is granted bail. If you are going to be working out of your house you need to get Eddie confined there. That way he can help with the case. That might be a hard sell though." Zeus replied.

"How do we make that happened?" Sam asked.

"Biggest hurdle is Eddie, we have to get him to agree to it." Zeus said.

"If I can talk to Eddie I can get him to agree, he probably won't be happy about it though." Sam replied.

"What do you have in mind?" Zeus asked.

"Let's just leave it at I can convince him and Christine will back me up." Sam rambled. "So we can work on the case of course."

"Of course." Zeus replied with a knowing grin. "Let's go to the precinct, see if we can't get in to see Eddie and just what their case is against him."

 _Valetik Investigations_

"What do we need that I can get?" Monica asked Berto as they entered the office.

"We need all the files from the Starh case, and anything relating to Deacon so the Rainey file, Conrad file, and the Speer file. I think Eddie has the Starh and Speer files in his office on the counter so grab al those boxes." Berto said.

"Got it." Monica replied.

They worked together and soon had all the files gathered and everything Berto could think of that they would need for their makeshift office. They got back to Sam's, carted everything from the car into the living room and as Berto started setting up his equipment Monica began to open up the boxes. She stopped short on the third box. "Berto, is this what I think it is?" She asked.

Berto crossed the room and looked into the box. "That's a gun, and it's not Eddie's. Where did you find that exactly?"

"This box, it was right on top." Monica answered. "You don't think this is the murder weapon do you?"

"If it is this is way worse than we thought, and it can't be here. We need to put it somewhere though until we can all decide what to do with it." Berto replied.

"My place. It's a separate residence. It wouldn't be covered under a search warrant." Monica suggested.

"That's true, but how do you know that?" Berto asked.

"I listen." Monica smirked.

Berto carefully picked up the gun and took it to the guesthouse. By the time he returned Monica had the files unpacked and arranged on the coffee table. Berto returned to his task of setting up his equipment and tried to put the gun out of his mind.

 _LAPD precinct_

Zeus and Sam made their way to the precinct and once inside Sam let Zeus do all the talking, which worried the former cop. They were ushered into a small room to wait and an hour into their vigil Christine entered the room. She surreptitiously passed Sam a note while making small talk then left the room. Sam glanced at the note it read "Meet me in the ladies room in ten minutes." She discreetly showed it to Zeus and then stuck it in her purse.

Ten minutes later she entered the ladies room and Chris was waiting for her. "How is he?" Sam asked.

"He's ok. Hasn't said a word except to request counsel and Kennedy is with him now. My hands were tied, I had to go along with the arrest." Christine answered.

"It can't be a coincidence that our client Emily Speer came to us based on the advice of someone connected to Deacon, then he shows up at the hotel ten minutes before the con man was killed by the same person who killed Marnie Starh? I told Eddie to sit this one out. I begged him, but he wouldn't listen. Deacon wants to destroy us for sending him to prison." Sam replied.

"Have Berto track Eddie's movements after he left the precinct, and have him see if he can track down Eddie's S.U.V. It was seen on a wildlife camera at the crime scene, but it didn't seem to be at his place. Sam If this is Deacon? Be careful. I will do what I can here." Christine said.

"I think he was on foot when he got home tonight. Is there anyway I can see him, even if it's just for a minute? I have Berto and Monica working out of my house. It's more secure there than the office." Sam trailed off.

"And you want Eddie to know that." Christine supplied.

"Yeah, I also had a couple things I wanted to tell him. Personal things." Sam mumbled.

"Let me see what I can do about getting you in to see him. Hang out with Zeus for a few minutes." Christine replied.

Sam's phone alerted her to a text message from Berto it read. "We are at the house, need you ASAP. ETA?"

She messaged back "Not sure. Waiting with Zeus hoping to see Eddie. Call you soon."

Sam returned to the small room where Zeus was waiting. "Feel better?" He asked.

"A little. I'm exhausted. It's been a long day. Wish I could go back to this morning, when my only thought was about my audition." Sam replied.

"You had an audition?" Zeus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. Seems like a lifetime ago. I got the part too." Sam replied.

"Congratulations darlin." Zeus said.

"Not sure I'm going to take it." Sam replied.

"Why? Isn't this what you've wanted all this time?" Zeus asked.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure it's still what I want. It's a lead role. If I take it I can't work with Eddie anymore. I was hesitant about it before all this. Now? I'm even more confused." Sam lamented.

"Well don't make any decision about it now. You aren't thinking straight." Zeus advised.

"Honestly? I haven't been thinking straight all day. Hazard of waking up in Eddie's bed, _again_." Sam replied. "Forget I said that, ok? Exhausted and stressed out Sam equals Sam without a filter."

"You got it darlin'." Zeus answered with a chuckle.

A few minutes later Christine came to get Sam. "I can give you a couple minutes, but keep in mind nothing you say is private. You will be monitored, and they are letting you see him in hopes he says something they can use against him." She said quietly.

"Thanks. I owe you." Sam whispered back.

Christine let Sam into the interrogation room and Sam immediately went to Eddie and wrapped her arms around him. "I was so worried about you. Are you ok?" She asked.

"Yes. Are you ok?" Eddie asked.

"Shaken, but I'll be ok. Zeus is here." Sam answered.

"Listen to him, he will help you with what needs done." Eddie replied.

"We are going to try and get you bail. Zeus thinks you have a shot at it, but you will have an ankle monitor. Berto is setting up in my house because it's more secure. So you need to use my address." Sam quickly whispered as she drew him in for a kiss.

Eddie returned her kiss and then whispered "Got it. Don't do anything stupid. Make sure to use the security system, and I mean it listen to Zeus, and don't go after Deacon."

"Gee where have I heard that?" Sam replied with a grin, forgetting for a moment where they were.

"Old news I know, but I was wrong. Wrong about so many things. I wish I could go back and do things differently. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I know that you were trying to protect me from all this. " Eddie said as he gazed into Sam's eyes.

"And here I didn't think you were capable of admitting you were wrong Valetik." Christine said as she entered the room. "Sorry Sam, times up."

"Be careful Eddie." Sam said as she gave him one last kiss on the cheek before following Christine out of the room.

"I need to stop in the ladies room before I go back, can we stop? I need to splash some water on my face." Sam asked.

"Sure." Christine said as she led Sam into the ladies room and checked the stalls. Once she was sure it was empty she nodded at Sam.

"Thank you for letting me see him." Sam said.

"Did you tell him what you needed to?" Christine replied.

"Yes, and now I'm going to head home. Let me know if you find out anything." Sam answered.

"You do the same." Christine replied.

Sam and Zeus left the precinct and headed to Sam's house. Sam called Berto and let him know they were on their way. He sounded a bit off, but Sam chalked it up to the circumstances that had unfolded over the last several hours.

Authors note: I apologize for how long it took to get the first part of this posted. Thoughts?


	2. Two

Title: aftermath

Disclaimer see part one

 _Sam's house_

Sam and Zeus entered the house and were met at the door by Berto. "We have a problem. Come with me." He led them to Monica's, opened the door, and led them to her bedroom.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"When Monica and I went to get the files and equipment from the office she went into Eddie's office to grab the Starh files. When we got back here and unpacked the boxes we found this." Berto answered as he opened the closet.

"Whoa. Do you think?" Sam began.

"That that's the murder weapon? Yeah I do. I think this is Deacon setting Eddie up which means we were right to move everything here." Berto replied.

"We need to get rid of this. Deacon planted that so that when the police get a warrant and search the office they would find it. I can't do this, I can't." Sam said throwing up her hands as she left the guest house, with Zeus on her heels.

"Sam. I'm worried about you." Zeus said as they entered Sam's kitchen.

"I'm fine. Ok maybe I'm not fine, but we need to focus on Eddie not me." Sam replied.

"We can't do both? Just know if you need to talk I'm here, we all are." Zeus said.

"Thanks Zeus. Hey Berto can you get started on figuring out where Eddie went when he left the precinct? Track his phone, credit cards, the way you did when we were on the Stark case, and see if you can figure out where he left his car and where it is now. When he got back to his place tonight I'm pretty sure he was on foot because he said he needed to walk to think, but Chris said his car was spotted on a wildlife camera at the scene." Sam said once Berto and Monica had returned to her house.

"On it." Berto answered.

"I can start building a profile on Deacon if you want. See if we can see how his mind works." Monica offered.

"Get on it. Thanks Monica." Sam replied.

"What do you want me to do?" Zeus asked.

"You can take care of Deacons gift. Unless you aren't comfortable with that." Sam suggested.

"You got it Sam. I'll be back soon." Zeus replied as he motioned for Berto to follow him to the guest house.

"What do you need?" Berto asked.

"Keep an eye on Sam for me? I'm worried about her. I'll be back soon." Zeus answered.

"You got it. See you soon." Berto replied as he headed back to Sam's house.

"Sam why don't you try and get some sleep. It's going to be awhile before I have any information and if he's arraigned in the morning you want to be there, right?" Berto suggested.

"I don't know that I can sleep, but maybe I'll stretch out here until Zeus gets back. That way if you find anything I'm here." Sam replied.

"You're very good with her. You're good with people in general. I'm still not good with people." Monica told Berto a few minutes later when Sam was asleep on the couch. "She needed to sleep though. She probably had a massive amount of adrenaline in her system."

"That was my thought. I think it was Zeus' too, and you are better with people than you think." Berto replied. "I have an idea. What do you think of trying to build a profile on Karl Kahn too? Like maybe we can figure out who he was and how people hired him? And maybe that will lead to Deacon?"

"Worth a try." Monica said.

Zeus returned a few hours later and was happy to see Sam was asleep. "Where are you guys at with the timeline?"

"I tracked Eddie's cellphone and credit card and I know he started at the precinct and headed east, he stopped here for awhile, and also used his credit card so I'm guessing he grabbed a drink or something. Then he was on the move again continuing east. He stopped again, but didn't use his credit card but I'm going to trace the route when the sun comes up and see what cameras are along the route that we can access." Berto replied.

"Great. Let me know what you find out." Zeus said.

"Monica is working up a profile on Deacon, and we are working up Karl Kahn. We thought maybe if we can get an idea of him and how his clients contacted him it would lead us to where Deacon crossed his path." Berto explained.

"All great ideas. I don't pretend to know how to do all of that, but it makes sense." Zeus replied. "How's Sam?"

"We convinced her to lie down after you left. As soon as the adrenaline wore off she crashed. She's been asleep ever since." Monica replied.

"Good. She needed it. She put on a brave face at the precinct, but she had me worried. She was quiet. I've never known that woman to be quiet." Zeus said.

"What happened at the precinct? She hasn't said. Did you guys see Eddie?" Berto asked.

"I didn't, Christine talked to her and then got her a few minutes with Eddie. She told him that you were working here and that if we are able to get him bail he needs to come here. I figured Eddie would rather see her anyways." Zeus replied.

"So you heard about their hookup the other day." Monica said without thinking.

"Actually I heard she woke up in Eddie's bed this morning, but then she asked me to forget she said that. All I can say is I'm not surprised, but we need to get back to work so we can get Eddie out of this." Zeus answered. "What do you want me to do?"

"Do we know how much bail will be set at? Maybe you could get started on figuring that out?" Berto suggested.

"Eddie's lawyer called me. Gideon and I go way back and Eddie asked him to call me." Zeus answered. "He said that Christine convinced the chief to keep Eddie in the interrogation room until he is arraigned in the morning. So we don't have to worry about him in lockup. He thinks Eddie has a shot at bail, but it's not going to be cheap. Even if we just have to come up with ten percent, we still need to come up with a list of assets and cash on hand before we go to the arraignment."

"Sounds like something Sam could help with. Might want to wake her up. She wanted to know when you got back. She might have some ideas." Berto said.

"Sam? Wake up." Zeus said as he shook Sam's shoulder gently.

"Yeah? I'm up. What did you find out?" Sam replied as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Berto is still working on the timeline. He's got some leads he is going to follow up on when the sun comes up. I need your help to figure out how we are going to get Eddie's bail. Any suggestions?" Zeus said hoping that giving her something to focus on will keep her from stressing out.

"What about the money from the Starland game?" Sam asked Berto.

"It's in the safe at the office. It's probably a good start though." Berto answered. "Maybe you and Zeus can go get it now?"

"Lets go. At least I can feel useful doing that." Sam replied as she grabbed her shoes.

 _Valetik Investigations_

"So, Eddie's lawyer called me." Zeus began.

"Why? Is everything ok?" Sam interrupted.

"Hold up darlin', he called me because we're old friends, but also because Eddie was worried about you." Zeus answered.

"He shouldn't worry about me, I'm fine." Sam said as she reached into the safe.

"Sam, we both know you are not fine, and Eddie knew it too."Zeus replied.

"Ok, but there is nothing Eddie can do from jail. He needs to worry about himself right now." Sam answered as she locked up the safe. "Let's go."

"He may not be able to do anything from jail, but don't forget what I said before, the rest of us are here. Also, Christine called in a favor. They are keeping Eddie in Interrogation until they take him to court for his arraignment. He's not going to lockup, at least not now. Hopefully not at all." Zeus said as he followed Sam to the car.

 _Sam's house_

Berto continued to work, but at some point he noticed Monica had fallen asleep in the armchair she was working from. He grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch, covered her up, and got back to work. Thirty minutes later Sam and Zeus returned.

"We got the cash from the safe. I'm going to go take a shower, what time should we leave for court?" Sam asked.

"Take your time. We can grab breakfast on the way, and stop at Eddie's and grab him some clean clothes." Zeus replied.

"I'm going to head out in a few minutes to re-trace Eddie's path. I'll wake Monica up before I leave and send her home to get ready for her class." Berto said. "Or should I be at court?" Berto added as an afterthought.

"Work the case, with any luck we will get him out today, and then you can go over what you find with all of us. When you end up at his apartment grab some of his things." Zeus suggested.

 _Later that morning at the Courthouse_

Sam and Zeus arrived at the courthouse and were directed to the room where Eddie's arraignment would take place. After what seemed like forever Eddie was brought in, and his attorney joined him at the defense table. Eddie turned and his eyes locked on Sam's, and Sam was reminded how just a few days earlier she had told Eddie not to look at her like that. Of course that was before everything went sideways with the case and before things changed between them. There had been a shift in their relationship, and Sam wasn't sure when it happened exactly. It could have been outside the wine storage place or their hookup on Eddie's couch, maybe it was their fight in his office, or perhaps it was their heart to heart just before Eddie was arrested. In any case, Sam knew things had changed and she knew they couldn't go back to what they were before, and she wasn't sure she want them to go back.

Their moment was broken all too soon. The arraignment was brief, the judge asked for a plea, to which Eddie answered "not guilty" and then the issue of bail was raised. The judge granted bail, provided Eddie agreed to wear an anklet, and Sam breathed a sigh of relief. Zeus had already made a call to a bail bondsman that he knew Eddie had done work for in the past and the bondsman agreed to work with them to get Eddie out right away.

"So now what? I had an anklet, but it was an alcohol monitor. They slipped it on me when I got released from Central Booking and I just went on my way." Sam asked with a shrug.

"And didn't you trigger it the same night?" Zeus teased.

"Hey! I wasn't sober then, and I wasn't ready to be sober then. I've learned my lesson since then." Sam replied, sounding more like the Sam Zeus was used to.

"Gideon is working on the paperwork to get him released to your house, the bail bondsman is working on his paperwork, and you and I are going to head back to your house to wait for him. Christine is on the team to transport him and Berto has already moved enough of his belongings to your house to convince anyone he belongs there. So let's go." Zeus said as he ushered Sam out of the courtroom and towards the exit.

Authors note: my internet in my complex is unreliable at the moment so you get this chapter now and hopefully the next one soon.


	3. Three

Title: Aftermath

Disclaimer see part one

Spoilers: up to and including the season one finale

 _Sam's house_

By the time Sam and Zeus got back to her house Berto had not only moved some of Eddie's belongings into Sam's bedroom, but he had also moved all evidence of their investigation into Monica's guest house. "So now what? We just wait?" Sam asked.

"Now we wait. Christine said he should be here by the end of the day." Zeus replied. "When does Monica get back from class?"

"She should be on her way now. Why?" Berto asked.

"I need to go check in with my family, and you need to keep working on the case. When Monica gets here I want her to stay with Sam." Zeus replied.

"Hey, I don't need a babysitter." Sam objected.

"Humor me?" Zeus replied.

"I haven't needed a babysitter since I was ten, but fine." Sam said rolling her eyes.

Several hours later Zeus returned to Sam's house with takeout for a late lunch and the news that Eddie was en route.

Sam busied herself with setting the table, but Zeus could tell she still wasn't back to her normal self. The stress of the last few days, the last twenty four hours in particular, was evident. He hoped that Sam would relax once Eddie was safely tucked away behind the top of the line security system. Berto and Monica joined them around the table and they began to discuss the case. "Did you find any cameras along Eddie's route that you can access?" Zeus asked.

"Yes, a couple traffic cams, some businesses, and a few ATMs. I figure once Eddie is here and we move everything back over here we can go through some of the data together. He can verify the exact route that he took so we can narrow down which camera's to use. I haven't found his car yet either so maybe he has some ideas." Berto replied in between bites.

Noises outside alerted them that they were about to have company. Sam went to the door and saw Christine lead Eddie up the short sidewalk, and let them inside. Soon the technician had the monitor set up and Eddie was instructed on how far he could go without triggering the system and cautioned about the consequences should he not abide by the terms of his bail. Paperwork was soon signed and the monitor was activated. The technician left and Christine left soon after, but said she would be back. Berto, Monica, and Zeus went to retrieve the files and the equipment from the guest house which left Sam and Eddie alone in the living room.

It didn't take long for Eddie to cross the living room and envelope Sam in his arms. "I know things are a little strange right now between us, but thank you for everything you did to get me here."

"It was a team effort, you should thank Christine and Zeus too." Sam replied.

"I'll buy them dinner or something after this is all over." Eddie said as he kissed Sam.

Sam returned his kiss and wrapped her hands in Eddie's short hair. The sound of the back door being opened broke their kiss. "We should probably get to work. Can we talk later?" Sam asked as she shrugged out of his embrace.

"Later." Eddie replied as took her hand and led her to the couch.

 _Several hours later_

They had nailed down the time frame and the route Eddie had taken and Berto was working on getting the photos to prove Eddie was nowhere near Karl Khan when he was killed. Christine arrived after her shift ended and added what information she had uncovered. Zeus left once Christine arrived and Monica left soon after to finish a paper and get some sleep ahead of her early morning class.

The events of the last twenty four hours were beginning to catch up with everyone, and around one a.m. Eddie decided that everyone needed to sleep. Sam offered to put them up for the night, but neither took her up on it. Soon it was just Eddie and Sam alone in the house.

"So some of your stuff is in my room, Zeus had Berto bring it over. They thought if anyone questioned you being here..." Sam trailed off.

"My stuff in your room would sell it." Eddie finished.

"You can sleep in the guest room if you want." Sam replied.

"Do you want me to sleep in the guest room?" Eddie asked.

"Not really." Sam said simply as she turned out the lights, double checked the alarm system, and headed to her bedroom.

Eddie sat in the dark for a few minutes before he followed Sam's path. "Ok if I grab a shower?" he asked.

"Yeah. There are towels in the cabinet next to the sink." Sam replied with a yawn.

After a quick shower Eddie climbed in bed beside Sam. "Are we going to be ok?" She said quietly.

"Is this about Deacon? Or something else?" Eddie asked.

"Some of its Deacon. If I said I wasn't terrified of what he is going to do next I'd be lying, but right now? I'm scared of whatever this is between us. I know we said it was something to get out of our system after the first time, and last night we didn't really come to any decisions either, but I don't want to pretend it didn't happen or that there isn't something between us. Actually I don't think I can, not after everything that's happened." Sam answered honestly.

"I don't want to go back either. Chris told me months ago that there was something between us and I shouldn't ignore it, which of course I did. That's the reason she and I haven't been a thing for awhile. She reminded me the other morning at the gym after she saw us. Told me pretending there wasn't something there wasn't going to make it go away." Eddie replied with a yawn.

"Get some sleep, we can talk more in the morning." Sam said as she curled up next to Eddie and he wrapped his arms around her.


	4. Four

Title Aftermath

Disclaimer see part one

Authors Note: thank you so much for the feedback on this story, it means the world to me.

 _The next morning_

Unlike the last time he and Sam spent the night together, Eddie didn't wake up alone. The memory of the note she left him the last time brought a smile to his face. They still had a lot to talk about and deal with, but Eddie felt like they were going to be ok. He also realized he needed to get up. He didn't know when Berto would return so he decided to let Sam sleep and go make breakfast.

Eddie was quite surprised to find his young associate already settled in on his computer in Sam's living room. "Morning. When did you get in? How did you get in?" Eddie asked.

"Morning. I've been here for about an hour. Monica let me in." Berto answered.

"Did you sleep at all?" Eddie asked, knowing how late it was when Berto left and it was still fairly early.

"Yeah, I decided I was too tired to drive home so I crashed with Monica." Berto replied.

"You could have stayed here, Sam offered." Eddie said.

"I know." Berto replied simply. "Hey who did you talk to at eleven seventeen pm? That's like fifteen minutes before Sam called me."

"Deacon called me. I forgot all about it." Eddie answered.

"What did he want?" Berto asked.

"Now that I think about it, I don't know. He asked about the case we were working on when he saw Sam at the poker game and he mentioned her new movie, but I just realized something. How did he even know about that? She had just told me how the audition went when I got back to my apartment. She hadn't even accepted it." Eddie replied.

"I still haven't, and I don't think I'm going to." Sam said as she came downstairs.

"Why not?" Eddie said.

"So many reasons which you and I will talk about later, but seriously how would Deacon know? They made the offer at the audition, but nobody knew I got it except you. I got to the office ready to tell everyone and that's when you told me about the ballistics report and I got sidetracked. Seriously though how would he know. Did he set it up? Or worse is there a listening device in your apartment? We already know he got in the office." Sam replied slightly panicked.

"What do you mean 'we know he got in the office?'" Eddie asked, his eyes narrowed.

"When Monica unpacked the files we brought from the office she found a gun in one of the boxes we grabbed from your office. I knew it wasn't your gun, and we all agreed that it seemed like it was placed there for the police to find. It just so happened that we moved it before the police could get a warrant." Berto explained.

"Where is it now?" Eddie asked.

"We don't know." Sam answered.

"How do you not know?" Eddie replied.

"It's been taken care of." Berto said.

"What does that even mean?" Eddie asked.

"Ask Zeus, but don't expect him to tell you anything." Sam said quietly as she headed for the coffee maker.

"Does this mean we think your apartment is bugged?" Berto asked.

"Not ruling it out. Can you call Zeus and see if he can check it out?" Eddie said.

"On it." Berto replied opting to make his call outside and give the partners some privacy.

"Were you ever going to tell me about the gun?" Eddie asked Sam as he crossed the kitchen to grab his own coffee.

"I don't know. We didn't bring it up last night when Chris was here because we didn't want to put her in a position to be withholding information. I think I was hoping we wouldn't have to tell you." Sam answered quietly.

"I appreciate you protecting Chris, but you can stop trying to protect me. We are going to get through this, but we need to work together." Eddie replied.

"I know. I don't know how it's all going to get worked out but I know we will get through it. Everything the last few days has been so crazy. Monica actually told me that our fight was inevitable because our emotions were heightened, FYI she figured out we slept together. " Sam said.

"Pretty sure Berto knows too then." Eddie replied.

"Zeus knows too, I accidentally told him at the police station." Sam said confessed. "He didn't seem that surprised though, neither did Monica now that I think of it. I was so freaked out by everything I guess I wasn't thinking clearly. I do know this though, I don't want to wait until this is over to have that conversation we need to have."

"Yeah? How do you want to start?" Eddie asked.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know, but do you know how much I wish we could go back to two days ago when I left you sleeping in your bed? Do you know how much I wanted to skip the audition and crawl back in bed with you for another round?"

"I knew you didn't mean that note." Eddie replied as he pulled Sam close for a deep kiss.

Berto could see what was going on through the windows on the patio, but knew he needed to interrupt. "Eddie? I'm going to go meet Zeus at your place and we are going to sweep it for bugs, then do the same at the office. I'll be back, but in the meantime the computer is already working on facial recognition for the photos. Also I think your agent just pulled up Sam."

"Crap! I forgot to call her after the audition and then with everything going my phone died and I forgot to charge it. Let her in, I'm going to go get dressed." Sam replied as she took off for her bedroom.

"Why am I not surprised to see you here Eddie." The blonde agent said as Eddie opened the door.

"It's not what you think." Eddie answered.

"I already know you and Sam slept together, and even though she assured me it wouldn't happen again I'm kind of glad you are here. When I didn't hear from her I was worried the audition didn't go well and when she didn't answer her phone I was afraid she fell off the wagon." Syd replied.

"I didn't fall off the wagon, and the audition went fine. Or at least I thought it did. Now I'm not so sure, and Eddie is here because of the jewelry around his left ankle." Sam said as she came down the stairs.

"What did you do?" Syd asked.

"It's a long story, but the short version is I'm out on bail and everyone decided it would be better to work from here so they masterminded a plan to get me confined here. I'm going to go get dressed and let you two talk." Eddie explained.

"My phone died and then I forgot about it. I'm sorry you were worried. It's just been a rough couple days. Do you remember the first case Eddie and I worked together? The corrupt judge?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Syd said.

"Because we are pretty sure he's the one who set Eddie up for murder, and now we are thinking he may have had something to do with that audition. They told me at the audition it was mine if I wanted it." Sam began.

"That's great! Or that's not great?" Syd replied suddenly very confused.

"I didn't tell anyone I got it except Eddie and that wasn't until after ten thirty that night. Less than an hour later Eddie got a phone call from Deacon, the corrupt judge, and he mentioned the movie. How did he know? You said yourself it was a long shot so why would they straight up offer it to me?" Sam answered.

"I don't know Sam maybe because you are a great actress? Do you really think that this guy has the power to pull that off? And why would he do it? It doesn't make a lot of sense." Syd replied.

"He wants to destroy us. I ran into him the other night at a poker game and he made a point to remind me that Eddie and I sent him to prison. Then he reminded me about how hard it is to repair your reputation, and it's well documented how I'm trying to rebuild mine." Sam answered.

"That was part of his spiel when he called me too. He said it was good to see you the other night and he was glad we were doing well. The way he said it made it seem like he wasn't talking about business and again how would he know? He reminded me we sent him to prison. Said that prison simplified things and that he had everything he wanted. He hung up rather abruptly and that's when L.A.P.D. showed up to arrest me." Eddie said as he entered the room.

"I know it doesn't make sense, but this man is evil. He not only orchestrated a hit from prison but made sure Eddie had a hand in delivering the hit man to his target." Sam explained.

"He told me that All men deserve to pay for their sins and that I had myself to blame for the man that was killed. He's evil and we need to stop him, but I'm stuck here." Eddie groaned.

"Just til we prove you didn't kill Khan, besides I'm pretty sure there are worse places to be stuck." Sam replied with a grin.

"Believe me I know there are worse places. I meant what I said, I owe you all for keeping me out of lockup." Eddie answered.

"Ok. Well now that I see you are ok I'm going to go. Be careful. Sounds like this guy is dangerous. Walk me out Sam?" Syd said.

"What? More lectures about Eddie? Do you need me to tell you that you were right? Despite us saying it wasn't going to happen again it did." Sam asked when they reached Syd's convertible.

"Just be careful, ok? Call me if you need anything." Syd replied as she got in her car and drove away.

"So did Syd try to get you to run away from me?" Eddie asked with a grimace when Sam returned to the house.

"She's worried, but I think only some of it is about you. I think she's worried more because of my recovery. The program has suggestions about relationships in the first year of recovery, suggestions I don't intend to follow, I don't think I can at this point." Sam admitted as she sat down on his lap.

Eddie captured her lips in a passionate kiss, and Sam returned it ardently. Sam was in the process of removing Eddie's shirt when the doorbell rang. Sam groaned "I need to see who that is, but don't go anywhere." She said as she straightened her slightly rumpled clothing and attempted to tame her hair.

"Hey Eddie, I think it's for you." Sam yelled down the short hallway as she let Christine Rollins into the house. "He's in the living room, I'm going to go finish getting dressed."

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." Chris asked taking in Eddie's state.

"Didn't expect to see you this morning." Eddie replied, ignoring her comment.

"Berto called. Said you remembered something and suggested I stop by. What's up?" Chris asked.

"Deacon called me right before you arrested me, literally right before. The interesting part? He mentioned Sam's new movie." Eddie said.

"Sam has a new movie?" Christine asked.

"Exactly, no one knows. I knew she had the audition, but she didn't tell me how it went until I got back to my apartment that night. She didn't even tell Syd til this morning, and she hasn't accepted it. So how did Deacon know?" Eddie replied.

"So what are you thinking?" Chris asked.

"Either Deacon set up the audition, or my apartment is bugged, or maybe both. Berto and Zeus are sweeping my apartment now." Eddie answered.

"Why would he set her up though?" Christine asked.

"When I saw him at the poker game he talked about reputations and how hard they are to repair. Maybe he thinks that the way to hurt me is to give me my career back and then find a way to take it away again?" Sam answered as she reentered the living room and took a seat next to Eddie.

Eddie's phone rang and he answered it on the third ring. "Hey Berto, Christine is here. Ok if I put you on speakerphone?"

"Yeah that's fine. You are too. Zeus and I are in my car." Berto replied

"What did you find out?" Christine asked.

"We've got some good news and some bad news. Our suspicions were correct, your apartment is bugged Eddie." Berto answered.

"Looks like one in the kitchen and one in the living room. Good news is we think there may be a way to figure out where the signal is being sent so we left them there." Zeus added.

"Any idea how long they've been there?" Eddie asked.

"My guess? A week, maybe a little more." Zeus answered.

Eddie watched the color drain from Sam's face. "Good call leaving them there. You checking the office next?" He asked.

"Yeah, heading there now and then we will be at Sam's." Berto answered as he disconnected the call.

"Breathe Sam. They wouldn't have been able to leave them if they had video capability. We aren't in sex tape territory." Eddie tried to reassure her.

"Still. Someone heard us, multiple times. Deacon heard us." Sam answered with a shudder.

"Ok, all that aside, did you guys talk about the case, or Deacon in the apartment?" Christine asked.

"I remember talking about the case when we got back from the wine storage place, but I don't think we talked about Deacon. Then we got sidetracked." Eddie answered with a grin.

"We didn't really talk about the specifics of the case the night you got arrested either. It was mostly personal stuff, about the audition and our fight at the office." Sam replied.

"And we didn't talk about Deacon either that night. There wasn't time. I don't think anyone could have gotten much of anything by placing a bug in your apartment. You are too much of a workaholic, you sleep there, not much else. Are you sure this place isn't bugged?" Christine asked.

"Zeus checked it the other night, and it's safe. Which it better be with the system and how much trouble it was to learn." Sam answered.

"After the serial killer case Zeus and I upgraded Sam's security system. No one is getting in without one of us knowing about it." Eddie said as he answered his phone.

"Eddie Valetik we have some business to discuss." The voice said.

"Melanie Ray, what do I owe the pleasure." Eddie replied getting Christine's attention and putting the phone on speakerphone.

"I hear you got yourself into some trouble by crossing the wrong person. What good are you to me if you are in prison? I left you a present at your office." Melanie Ray said cryptically as she ended the call.

"What is she talking about Eddie?" Christine asked.

"Remember when we had to get the drugs back that were in the trap car Tyler stole? I made a deal with Mel to back off the guy who owed her so he would give us the drugs back. I told her if she'd back off the kid I'd owe her." Eddie explained.

"It's my fault he made the deal, I begged him to help the kid. He's in recovery." Sam said.

"Trust me, it isn't because of you. Well you may have been part of it but Eddie is fully capable of doing that all on his own. Especially since Ty was involved." Christine replied.

Note: I have a busy day today filled with mom stuff so I don't know when I will have the next chapter ready, so you get a bit longer one today.

Any ideas on what Mel's present is???


	5. Five

Title: Aftermath

Disclaimer: see part one

Authors note: thank you all so much for the feedback. I had a very busy weekend full of mom stuff, friend stuff, and a three day weekend, thanks for your patience. This was all compounded by writers block, but here is the next chapter.

 _Sam's house_

"Ok. Let me know what Mel left you. I have an appointment I need to get to, but have Berto or Zeus get me everything they have regarding the bugs if they are able to trace them. I don't want to bring anyone from the department in on this to investigate Deacon because the people I trust don't like you so for now it's just us." Christine said.

"Has Mick determined anything beyond the time of death yet?" Eddie asked.

"Not sure. I can look into it after my appointment." Christine replied.

"Why don't I go see Mick instead? We are all in agreement that we trust him, right? I can go see him and maybe we can narrow down the timeframe we have to work on to prove Eddie was not with Khan." Sam suggested.

"I think it's safe to say we all trust Mick. I can drop you off at the morgue if you want." Christine replied.

"Will you be ok here by yourself?" Sam asked Eddie.

"I'll be fine. I just wish I could go with you." Eddie answered.

"I know, but I need to go see Tina too, she's my sponsor." Sam replied. "Give me a minute to grab my phone." She said as she left the room.

 _Morgue_

"Sam, what do I owe the pleasure?" Mick said from his position over a body.

"I wanted to know if you figured out the timeline of when Karl Khan's wounds were inflicted." Sam answered.

"Should have known you would be working on Eddie's case." Mick replied.

"We all are. You were at the scene, was there anything unusual?" Sam asked.

"Everything is consistent with the theory of the crime." Mick replied.

"Christine said Khan was tortured before he was shot, have you been able to tell with what yet?" Sam asked.

"I haven't been able to determine what tools may have been used, but I did find that the person who beat him wrapped their hands in some kind of tape because I found adhesive in the wounds." Mick answered.

"Wouldn't that mean that you'd expect marks on the killers hands?" Sam asked.

"You would think so, yes. Why?" Mick answered.

"Because I was waiting for Eddie when he got home that night and he didn't have a mark on him." Sam answered. "Doesn't that support his innocence?"

"It does. Another unusual thing I've found so far is this substance on the bottom of Khan's shoes and pants, it's a polymer that I can't figure out how it fits." Mick replied.

"On my show there was this episode we did where the victim had this obscure pollen on his shoes. We kept looking for the pollen on its own but we couldn't find it. However when you combined it with all the other substances that were on the victim it gave us an entirely new substance and led us to the real killer." Sam said.

"Of course that's it." Mick exclaimed.

"That's what?" Sam asked.

"I have an idea, it will take awhile to find out the results but I will call you when I know something more." Mick answered. "I just realized I don't have your phone number, just Eddie's."

"You can still call Eddie, unless that's not allowed. He's staying at my place right now, but here is mine." Sam said as she wrote it down.

"Oh Eddie's staying with you." Mick replied with surprise.

"We didn't really give him a choice. My house has a better security system and more space to work the case. His place is comfortable for the two of us, but too small for the computer equipment, boards and other people." Sam babbled.

"Sounds like you spend a lot of time at Eddie's." Mick replied.

"Oh, um sortof? Lately I guess yeah, but it's more like we spend a lot of time together." Sam answered with a shrug. "Listen I need to go somewhere before I head home, but if you find out what that substance is will you let me know?"

"Sure Sam, good luck." Mick said as Sam left the morgue.

 _Coffee shop_

Sam slid into the corner booth of the small nondescript coffee shop with her cup of tea and soon was joined by her sponsor Tina.

"Ok Sam, so what is going on?" Tina asked after pleasantries were exchanged.

"I went on a date. I didn't intend to start dating, it just happened. I thought since I hadn't dated since before Rehab I'd stick my toe in and see how it felt, nothing serious. We had a nice time and had plans to go on another date, but instead I ended up going home with my partner Eddie. We didn't plan for it to happen either, but it did and it is kind of the opposite of not serious." Sam confessed.

"Well you can't go back and undo the choices you've made and you know the recommendations about relationships in the first year of sobriety. Obviously since you reached out this is affecting your sobriety on some level." Tina said.

"I'm not sure how much that particular change in our relationship has affected my sobriety. Before we could even untangle what we are Eddie got arrested for something he didn't do. He used to be a cop, he put a lot of bad guys in jail, both as a cop and as a P.I., jail is a very dangerous place for people like him. On top of all that everyone is treating me like I need a babysitter, like I'm going to fall apart. Is that normal?" Sam asked.

"I'm assuming the everyone you are referring to knows how stressful the situation has been and realizes you haven't been sober that long? If so, I'd say yes, it's normal." Tina replied.

"I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a moment where I wanted to block it all out. It would have been so easy too. It was the first time in awhile where I really considered throwing it all away." Sam confessed.

"But you didn't and that's what matters. You should have called me, that's what I'm here for." Tina chided her.

"I know, and I only thought about it for a minute a second even, but then I realized that I needed to think about the big picture. Blocking everything out wouldn't make it better. So I did what needed to be done, and got people working on the case. That has to count for something, right?" Sam asked. "So why are they treating me like I am going to relapse?"

"My guess? Because they care." Tina replied. "If you want my suggestion? Be honest with them."

"Thanks Tina. You've been a big help. I know you need to get back to work I need to get back to Eddie, he's out on bail and confined to my house - long story." Sam said as she got up to leave.

"Anytime. Good luck with everything." Tina replied.

 _Sam's house_

While everyone was out Eddie busied himself with reading over all the case files again that had any connection to Deacon. Trying to familiarize himself with details he may have glossed over or missed in previous readings. By the time Sam returned with Chinese food he had also read over all the data Monica and Berto had compiled on both Khan and Deacon and the profiles that Monica worked up. They worked together to unpack the Chinese Food and once that task was completed they discussed what they had uncovered in their time apart.

"So Mick said that the person who beat Khan taped their hands because there was adhesive in the wounds, which supports your innocence because it would have left marks on your hands, which you don't have and didn't have that night. He is also trying to trace something that was on his shoes and pants that may lead to where he was beaten. I think he had a crush on me too, seemed disappointed that you are staying here." Sam told him.

"You think everyone finds you irresistible." Eddie bantered back.

"Well you sure seem to think so." Sam replied.

"I do, and if I didn't hear a car door closing I'd show you." Eddie said as he dropped a very chaste kiss on her lips before he headed to open the door.

"There are no bugs in the office, we went through everything, each of your offices, the conference room, the kitchen, even the terrace. It's clean. I'm thinking he didn't bug the office because he anticipated the police searching the offices and couldn't risk them finding listening devices. We also found this when we got there." Zeus said as he handed Eddie a thick envelope.

"Did you look at it?" Eddie asked.

"Other than to make sure it wasn't bugged, no." Zeus answered. "What do you think it is?"

"A present from Melanie Ray." Eddie replied.

"Do I want to know why?" Zeus asked.

"Probably not." Sam answered.

Eddie opened the envelope and emptied the contents onto the island in the kitchen. "We need to get Christine back here." He said.

"Already calling." Berto replied.

Christine returned and found Zeus standing guard at the island. "I found the package at the office, brought it here, Eddie opened it but as soon as I saw what it was I sent him upstairs. It has been in my custody the whole time." He said.

"Is this Mel's 'gift' by chance?" Christine asked. "I was still here when she called Eddie."

"It is. Looks to be evidence to take down Deacon and evidence of his vendetta against Eddie." Zeus replied.

"It's not enough to get the charges dropped for the Khan case, but I think we can all agree that Deacon isn't going to stop coming for Eddie as long as he's out in the world. This could put him back behind bars." Chris said.

"Prison didn't stop him from coming after Eddie before, why should this be any different?" Sam remarked cynically. "He's got too many friends in the justice system and the police force. Owns half of L.A. and all. He doesn't play fair."

"If he doesn't play fair, why should we? I have an idea. What if we skip the L.A.P.D. altogether?" Christine asked.

"What do you mean?" Sam replied.

"Well if we can't trust the L.A.P.D. who can we trust? There is definitely enough evidence here for him to get federal time. Now just to figure out what agency to reach out to..." Christine trailed off.

"I know some people in the FBI that were consultants on 'Hot Suspect' but I don't think any of them would be the right people. They are in divisions like Art Crimes which I don't think would be helpful with this." Sam answered.

"What about Jackie Jarvis?" Eddie suggested as he came back downstairs upon hearing Christine's voice.

"Who's that?" Zeus asked.

"She's an FBI agent we worked with on a case." Sam answered.

"What case was that?" Christine asked.

"The Stark case." Sam answered simply knowing there was a non disclosure agreement in place regarding that particular case.

"Ahh the case with the naked rideshare at two am to Eddie's place." Monica said as she entered the room.

"Oh. That case." Zeus replied.

"Why do I feel like there is something I don't know about that case?" Christine asked.

"There's an N.D.A. on the case anyway so we shouldn't be talking about the case." Eddie said as he attempted to change the subject.

"She works for the FBI in covert ops and her real name is Special Agent Angela Truman. Thats about all we know about her. I'm not sure if we can trust her, but she didn't have to tell us who she was, she could have just drugged us again." Sam supplied.

"Zeus? You have any contacts? I really don't want to go begging a favor from my ex to get to someone at the DEA if I can avoid it." Christine asked.

"I might know someone, but start with this Angela Truman. If that doesn't work out I'll see what I can come up with, so you don't have to call your ex." Zeus answered with a glint in his eye.

"Let me see what I can find out about this agent. Do you remember anything more about her?" Christine asked.

"You met her. She was leading the team that took your jurisdiction on the Stark case. That's all we can say because of the N.D.A." Eddie answered.

"Ok. Then let me make some calls. I will let you know what I find out. Zeus can you hang onto the evidence in that security fortress of yours?" Christine asked.

"You got it." Zeus answered.

"So we've got photos documenting Eddie's movements from the precinct until here." Berto gestured on the map. "So far we have it documented until approximately eight p.m., I have other cameras I'm still sifting through the footage and running facial recognition on that will hopefully complete the timeline. Where are we with Eddie's S.U.V.?"

"I will check with parking enforcement and see if they've located it." Christine answered.

They strategized for a few more hours before Zeus had to get to the bar and Christine left when Mick paged her to the morgue. Monica had disappeared earlier something about a class, and Berto left to go get dinner leaving Sam and Eddie alone in the house.

"So am I allowed to ask why you needed to meet with your sponsor?" Eddie asked.

"I just wanted to talk to someone outside this whole thing, to help me have perspective on it. By the way I get that you've been worried about me, but I'm ok, really. I will be even better when we can get you cleared." Sam answered.

"Tired of me already?" Eddie asked.

"Not even close, It has been nice waking up in someone's arms again." Sam replied as she leaned into his embrace.

Anything Eddie was going to add was halted by an alert on Sam's phone. It was a text from Mick "I've found something, can you come join Christine and I at the morgue?"

"On my way." Sam texted back.

TBC

Authors Note I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out as I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with this and I have nothing backlogged to post next. Enjoy.


	6. Six

Title Aftermath

Disclaimer: see part one

 _Morgue_

Sam and Monica arrived at the morgue in record time, and Christine and Mick were waiting for them. "What did you find out?" Sam asked.

"That substance I couldn't figure out? It's an industrial grade floor cleaner." Mick replied.

"Ok, so what does that mean to the case?" Sam asked.

"This particular floor cleaner is used in new construction and because of the caustic nature of this chemical compound it is tightly controlled. There are permits required to purchase it, and there are only twenty seven companies working in the L.A. area that have permission to purchase it." Mick replied.

"We have the list of the companies and I've put in a request for a list of their current projects. I thought you guys could go through the list of the companies. Maybe you can figure out which company may have ties to Deacon and narrow it down so that when we get the official list we know where to start." Christine said.

"Yeah, absolutely. You didn't need me to come down here for that though. Did you find out something else?" Sam asked.

"Detective Rollins filled me in on what your theory is and I took a look at everything with fresh eyes. There are subtle things that are so imperceptible I missed them the first time I examined the body. Look here, what do you see?" Mick said as he gestured to the microscope.

"I see black marks, what am I looking at?" Sam asked.

"Those are microscopic burns, so small I missed them but they are a huge clue." Mick answered.

"So we are looking for a sociopath." Monica replied.

"Uh yes, to put it quite succinctly. The person who tortured Karl Khan is most likely a sociopath. How did you know that?" Mick asked.

"I'm a Psych student, working on my PhD. I work for Sam part time in exchange for living in her guest house. I kind of work for Eddie too." Monica answered.

"Impressive, but back to the matter at hand. Yes we are looking for a sociopath. I think as the investigation proceeds you will find that this person has killed before." Mick replied.

"Have you identified a signature? Because that might help connect other victims and help identified the killer." Monica asked.

"Not yet, but I feel that the burn marks are part of it. It takes skill to torture in that way but make it almost unnoticeable. I will keep looking and let you know what I find out." Mick answered.

"Thanks Mick." Sam replied.

"I just sent the list of companies to Berto. Can you explain it to him and Eddie?" Christine asked.

"Yep. You coming to the house tonight?" Sam asked.

"If you need me to I will, but I really need to get some sleep. I have to work tomorrow and I've barely been home." Christine trailed off.

"I think we can manage. I just might kick everyone out at some point tonight. I think we could all use a good nights sleep. Start fresh in the morning." Sam replied.

"Good luck getting Eddie and Berto to agree to that." Christine said.

"I think I can convince them, especially if you and Zeus aren't there. Besides it's my house. Get some sleep." Sam replied as she and Monica left the morgue.

 _Sam's house_

By the time Sam and Monica got back to the house Berto had returned with dinner. Over dinner they discussed what Sam and Monica discovered at the morgue.

"Christine has requested a list of the actual project locations that are using this cleaner, but we have the list of the companies. She thought Berto may be able to narrow down which company or companies may have ties to Deacon so that when the list is available we can compare them. Do you think that one of those locations is where Khan was tortured?" Sam asked.

"Could very well be." Eddie answered.

"We still have a long way to go, but I think we need to take the night off from the case. We've been burning the candle at both ends and I think we all need sleep. Deacons smart and I think we all need to be at our best to go up against him." Sam said.

"I agree with Sam, we need a night off." Monica said in agreement.

"Maybe we can finish that movie?" Berto suggested.

"What movie?" Sam asked.

"The movie we were watching when you called to tell Berto about Eddie's arrest." Monica answered.

"What? We hang out sometimes. You two think you are the only ones that hang out?" Berto asked.

"Alright. Then let's go through this list of companies and remove any company based out of state. It's more likely that Deacon would have connections locally." Eddie replied.

"We are left with seventeen companies." Berto said after he moved to his computer.

"How many are based in Los Angeles, Kern, Orange, Ventura, or San Bernardino Counties?" Eddie asked.

"Fourteen." Berto answered.

"How many of those are based in Los Angeles County?" Eddie asked.

"Looks like seven." Berto replied.

"Did Chris say when she should have a list of active properties?" Eddie asked.

"No, but from what it sounded like it won't be before tomorrow. All the more reason to take the night off." Sam answered.

"Ok Sam, you win. We will take the night off and start fresh in the morning." Eddie said.

 _An hour later_

Once the dishes had been washed, dried, and put away in their proper spots and the documents had been secured Berto and Monica left to finish the movie they had started a few days before. "Is it just me or are they an odd combination?" Sam asked after they left.

"Are they any odder a combination than the two of us?" Eddie replied.

"I guess not. I just hope she doesn't break his heart. He has been intrigued by her since day one when she made the lights flicker in the kitchen."Sam said.

"I don't want to talk about them. What do you want to do on our night off?" Eddie asked.

"Want to go for a swim?" Sam answered.

"Well you did say I might get to see you in a bikini some day." Eddie said.

"I don't think I imagined you'd have seen me in nothing when I said that." Sam teased.

"Do I have a swim suit? Or is it a clothing optional invitation?" Eddie replied.

"I think you probably can figure something out, and I'm not opposed to it being clothing optional but considering how close the guest house is I think we better save that for another time." Sam said.

"Another time. Actually I think I want to talk. What did you decide about the movie?" Eddie asked, suddenly serious.

"I'm going to turn it down. I was excited at first, like hey people are forgetting about 'Drunk and Disorderly Sam' but knowing Deacon may have had something to do with it? It makes my skin crawl. Even if he didn't have anything to do with it I always would feel like he did. I want to act again, but I can wait for the right role, and this isn't it. Looks you are stuck with me awhile longer." Sam answered.

"I'm glad. You are a good P.I. with good instincts and an even better friend."Eddie replied.

"Friends? Like you and Christine?" Sam teased.

"You and I are nothing like what Chris and I had. Emphasis on had. She shut it down months ago, after she sprung us from D.E.A. custody." Eddie confessed.

"During Dylan's case?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. I met her at Zeus' for a drink while you were getting the password from Dylan. She told me she knew why I needed the laptop and what was on it. Then she accused me of not being honest with her about you, but then she changed that to I wasn't being honest with myself. Which remember what I said about feelings and how I try to avoid them? Perfect example." Eddie answered as he tucked Sam's hair behind her ear.

"So I figured something out today after I talked to Tina. She mentioned about how I can't go back and undo choices I've made. I realized she was right, I can't undo anything, but I can make different choices going forward. I've always rushed into relationships, and I think that is why they always fall apart. Don't get me wrong Dylan was a total jerk to do what he did, but we weren't working long before that night. It took me a long time to understand that." Sam said.

"Are you saying you don't want to do this?" Eddie asked.

"No. I just want to do it differently. I'm not saying I want to take it slow because that ship has sailed, but I want to get to know you. Does that make sense?" Sam asked.

"I get it, but Sam we've spent the last however many months getting to know each other. We've been taking it slow all along. I know so many things about you, and I'd bet you can do the same." Eddie answered.

"Oh really? Prove it." Sam said.

"You prefer to drink herbal tea instead of coffee unless its a four a.m. stake out then you drink black coffee. You grew up in San Francisco, but moved to Hollywood as a teenager without your parents. You sister is a journalist and you have a complicated relationship. Do I need to go on?" Eddie asked.

"No." Sam said with a smile. "I guess we do know a lot about each other. You grew up in Echo Park. You became a cop because you wanted to help people and you are scared of puppets."

"Hey, I'm not scared of them. I just think they are creepy." Eddie replied with a matching smile.

"Whatever. Want to watch a movie?" Sam asked.

"Sure Sam." Eddie replied.

 _The next morning_

Sam woke up in Eddie's arms a sensation she didn't expect to ever tire of, and would have been content to stay there but reality set in. Her foot brushed against the ankle monitor and she was brought back down to earth. They still needed to get Eddie cleared of the murder charge. Hopefully they were be able to track the building Deacons henchman had used soon, and that would lead them to the actual killer.

"I can hear you thinking." Eddie said.

"For a minute I forgot about everything." Sam replied.

"I know what you mean, but we will get through this though. You have done such a great job running point on this case. You've proven how good your instincts are." Eddie said.

"All I did was what everyone told me to do. Chris told me to call the lawyer, Berto, and Zeus." Sam replied.

"That may be, but part of running a case is working with the people who can do what you need them too. Definitely not the work of a spoiled, overprivileged, out-of-control ego that I accused you of being the day we met." Eddie said.

"Would you have imagined we'd be here that day?" Sam asked.

"Never, but you aren't the person I thought you were. You are so hardworking and talented. Berto reminded me the other day that you were the best thing to happen to me in years, he was right, and I'm so glad I was wrong about you." Eddie confessed.

"I'm glad too. Ugh I would love to stay in bed with you, but we need to get to work. Rain check?" Sam asked.

"Definitely. I'll go start breakfast." Eddie said as he got out of bed.

"I'm going to go take a shower. I'll be down in a bit." Sam replied.

Eddie made breakfast and by the time it was ready Sam was out of the shower. While she ate hers Eddie showered. Berto arrived just as Sam was washing up the breakfast dishes and seemed rested and ready to work.

"Did the list come in from Christine?" Sam asked.

"I just got it. I'm going through the data now. It's still a lot of properties with just the seven companies, but more than we can search. There has to be something we're overlooking." Berto answered.

"What if you eliminate any new companies, like that started within the last six months?" Sam asked.

"Takes us down to six companies, but the number of projects is down to seventeen. What made you think of that?" Berto replied.

"She figured that Deacon wouldn't have had time to vet any newly established companies since we sent him to jail. Good idea." Eddie answered.

"Thanks. Now how do we narrow that down further?" Sam asked.

"Deacons smart. He'd want to be away from prying eyes and cameras. Berto, is there anyway we can tell which buildings have security systems installed? Also which buildings are in view of traffic cams?" Eddie replied.

"I can try and figure that out, but it's going to take awhile. I'm guessing you want to eliminate any properties with security systems or are in view of cams?" Berto answered.

"Exactly. He studied us carefully and probably has been planning this since he was in jail. He probably studied all of you, not just me and Sam. He wouldn't want to risk anything being caught on camera for you to find." Eddie replied.

"Hey Eddie? I just got a text from Zeus. He found your S.U.V. so I'm going to go meet him." Sam said.

"Check the odometer. I reset the trip calculator at the precinct. Habit." Eddie replied. "Be careful."

"I will, Monica is going to drop me off on her way to class and Zeus is there. I'll call you from the scene." Sam answered.

"It's killing you to watch her go without you isn't it?" Berto asked.

"I just feel useless here. I know she will be safe with Zeus, but I should be there. Whose idea was it to work from here and have me on bail here?" Eddie asked.

"I suggested we not work at the office, but Sam didn't hesitate to offer up this place. I think it was Zeus' idea for you to come here so you could be a part of the case." Berto answered. "Why?"

"Just curious. It was a good plan. At least here I know what is going on." Eddie asked.

"Do you think Deacon anticipated we would move everything to your place and that's why he had it bugged?" Berto wondered.

"That could be and actually makes sense. Christine pointed out that I'm rarely home, basically I sleep there, what point would there be to bug my apartment, but if he anticipated I'd be confined there a bug would be useful to him." Eddie said.

 _Meanwhile - abandoned building parking lot_

"Hey Zeus. Did you find anything?" Sam asked.

"Not yet, just getting started." Zeus replied.

"Eddie said to check the odometer, he zeroed out the trip calculator when he parked it. So whatever it says may show us how many miles it was driven and we already know it was at the crime scene and he knows where he left it." Sam said.

"I can't believe he still does that." Zeus said with a laugh. "There is no evidence here. Everything on the instrument panel has been wiped down."

"What about the adjuster for the seat? Eddie's tall and the figure on the video looked to be close to his height, but the seat is pulled up close." Sam asked.

"Meaning the last person to drive it was shorter. Good observation Sam." Zeus replied. "Maybe the person who moved the car overlooked it too."

"So what do we do with the car now? Do we leave it here? Do we take it back to Eddie's? Do we call Christine?"Sam asked.

"Once I am done I will call Chris and let her know where to find the car. Then you and I are going to stake it out from over there to make sure no one comes to tamper with it before she arrives." Zeus answered.

TBC

Authors note: here is the next chapter. Hope it still makes sense.


	7. Seven

Title: Aftermath

Disclaimer: see chapter one

 _Across from the abandoned lot_

Zeus finished up with the Eddie's S.U.V. and called Christine to let her know he had found it and where she could find it.

He and Sam waited in his car for Christine to arrive, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Hey Zeus? Do you think this is going to lead somewhere? That we will be able to clear him?" Sam asked.

"Don't tell me you are tired of him already?" Zeus teased.

"No, I'm just trying not to get my hopes up that we can get Eddie's life back. I know it's torture for him to be stuck at the house instead of hitting the street trying to solve this case." Sam replied.

"Hard to tell. We know Deacon is very calculating but we just have to hope someone working for him makes a mistake. There is definitely a print on the seat adjuster so we just have to wait and see what Christine finds out." Zeus said.

"Berto is working on narrowing down a possible site where Khan was tortured. There was a floor cleaner on Khans pants and shoes that Berto is working to tie back to a location. It's a cleaner that is only available to certain companies and Chris got us a list of the properties using it. He's working on finding places not in view of traffic cams." Sam said.

"When he gets it narrowed down let me know. I'll go with him to check it out." Zeus replied.

"Ok. I'd just as soon not find that crime scene." Sam answered.

"How are you handling everything else? You had me worried the night Eddie got arrested." Zeus asked.

"I had myself worried. I came close to breaking my sobriety, but I didn't. I'm doing better. I talked to my sponsor yesterday and having Eddie around helps. I was just so afraid for him, that something would happen to him." Sam answered.

"What did you decide about the movie?" Zeus asked.

"I turned it down. It's not the right time and the thought of Deacon having something to do with it? Makes me cringe." Sam said with a shudder.

"Looks like Christine is here, not sure who she has with her." Zeus wondered.

"That's Mick. He's one of the Medical Examiners, and believes Eddie is innocent." Sam said.

"Stay here. I'm going to go talk to them." Zeus instructed.

Zeus exchanged pleasantries with the detective and was introduced to the young M.E. "I wore gloves and I left everything as I found it. There is a fingerprint on the seat adjuster. Can you let us know if that leads to someone?" Zeus asked.

Christine assured him she would keep him posted. "You might want to get her out of here before the flatbed gets here." She tells Zeus.

"We were never here. Thanks Christine." Zeus replied as he headed back to the car.

 _Back at Sam's house_

Zeus and Sam arrived at Sam's and updated Eddie and Berto on the situation with Eddie's S.U.V. "Christine is going to let us know if the fingerprint leads to anyone. Sam told me you were working on figuring out where Khan was held before he was killed. Have you had any luck with that?" Zeus asked.

"We narrowed it down to three that we think are most likely. I'm not sure if I can narrow it down further or if we should just go check those three." Berto answered.

"Lets start with those. I'm ready when you are." Zeus said.

"Let's go then. The sooner we find the scene the sooner we can prove Eddie was no where near there." Berto replied as he took his keys and followed Zeus out the door.

Sam busied herself with mundane tasks that Monica normally did around the house, desperately in need of the distraction. Unfortunately because Monica was a very good assistant there wasn't much to do. As she finished the last task her phone rang. It was Mick calling. Sam hit the answer call button and put it on speakerphone so Eddie could hear as well.

"Hey Mick. You are on speaker you've got Eddie too." Sam said.

"You are too, Detective Rollins is here too." Mick replied.

"We've got a problem, the print came back from your S.U.V. and it belongs to Emily Speer." Christine said.

"Wait, Emily Speer as in the woman who hired us to find her missing money?" Sam asked.

"That's her. I'm going to pick her up when I leave the morgue. Is there anything I need to know?" Christine queried.

"Just what we already told you, she came to us to track down her missing money and property, and then after the con man was killed we found out she had a connection to Deacon. What was she doing in my S.U.V.?" Eddie asked.

"That's what I'm going to try and find out. I will let you know what I find out." Christine said.

 _Interrogation room_

"Do you want to tell me why I'm here?" Emily Speer demanded.

"You want to explain why your fingerprint was found in Eddie Valetik's S.U.V.?" Christine replied.

"What do you mean? I've never been in his S.U.V.?" Emily answered, confusion evident on her face.

"Your fingerprint was found on the seat adjuster of this S.U.V. why were you in it?" Christine said, showing a photo of Eddie's vehicle.

"A friend asked me to drive the S.U.V. to a parking lot for her." Emily replied.

"Why?" Christine asked forcefully.

"I don't know? She got a new car, was selling this one maybe? I don't know." Emily answered fidgeting in her chair and no longer meeting Christine's gaze.

"What friend?" Christine asked handing Emily a legal pad. "Write down what you know."

"Instead I think I need my lawyer." Emily answered.

"Ok. We will play it that way. You heard her, she wants a lawyer." Christine said as she got up and walked out.

 _Sometime later_

"After speaking with my client I've advised her to cooperate. She has nothing to hide." The older man seated next to Emily said as Christine reentered the interrogation room.

"Ok, who asked you to move the vehicle?" Chris asked.

"Her name is Evelyn Collette. She's a former colleague. She called me and asked me to move the vehicle for her. She followed me and drove me back to my car." Emily answered.

"Why that parking lot?" Christine asked.

Emily looked at her attorney and he nodded for Emily to answer. "I didn't know when I got there that this was going to happen, but this guy met us there and he returned my jewelry that that con man stole from me and paperwork showing where my missing money was. He also gave Evelyn a package." She answered.

"That didn't seem odd to you?" Christine asked.

"It did, but I was so glad to have my money back I just put it out of my mind." Emily answered.

"Write everything down, including where you picked up the vehicle. Don't leave town." Christine replied as she grabbed her cellphone, got up, and left the room.

 _Zeus' vehicle_

Zeus and Berto had gone to the first two locations on the list and come up empty. As they were about to head to the third location Berto's phone rang. "Hey Christine, what's going on?" He asked.

"Did you get to the third location on your list yet?" Christine queried.

"No, on the way there now. Why?" Berto asked.

"I just got an address where Eddie's S.U.V. was picked up, it's that location. I'm headed there now." Christine answered.

"We are almost there, we will look around outside for any evidence but we won't go inside." Berto replied. "See you there." He said as he disconnected the call.

Authors Note: sooooooooo sorry this took so long to post this and that it's so short :( it's been rough trying to write this for two reasons. One: it's hard to write when I'm uninspired without the show or news about the show and two: I fell into another fandom and Ive written multiple fics for the other fandom cause it's easy to be inspired with it. I *am* committed to completing this story, and hopefully it won't be so long before the next update.

Thank you for the feedback, I strive in every fic I write to try to be authentic to the characters, so the greatest praise is to be told a fic is believable. Thanks again. Hopefully I will have another (longer) update soonish.


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